iReal Pro Reviews

This is an essential app for students and professional musicians. And not only allows you to play nearly any tune in different styles and tempos and keys, but it is also handy for writing simple chord charts. The one real problem it’s with the chart writing function.
It is not possible in this program to indicate anticipated chords, which is essential in notating popular music. If this function were improved I would give iRealPro five stars. Another welcome improvement would be the addition of more “styles”, for which many users would gladly pay extra.

I have been using iRealPro for years now and I do love it. I think there’s room for a few vital adjustments tho... one in particular that I would really like to see fixed. When a song is transposed and I want to edit chord changes, as soon as it goes into edit mode, it shows the chords in the original key the song was inputted, rather than the key I’m currently working with. This can be very frustrating in the moment for trying to make quick adjustments as I have to constantly transpose in my head to make edits. It would be nice if the edit mode always stayed in whatever key the current setting is.

It is a great app for sure, practice tool. I suggest to allow to write some rhythm notation very necessary for intros, for example: sometimes you have to play songs you have never played right on the spot, the rhythmic notation will do the miracle. My last suggestion all my students practice with this software but there is room to improve, we need that ireal be compatible with realbooks, again; "a song request we haven't heard", we need to playthe melody. Guys due respect, this is the 21th century and probably the last one. We need you to search for better software sound and more possibilities for the working musicians. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I believe you have released a great practice tool, and the best part there is lots of room for improvement…
Sincerely RBarak.

I’ve used iRealPro since the early versions and it always surprises me. First off it let’s me create simple, readable chord charts and share them effortlessly. The backing instruments give you flexibility to easily practice and rehearse. While most of my use of iRealPro is as a practice or teaching tool - I also use it to create basic backing tracks for live performance. I play lap steel - so all I really need is a bass line, and a simple rhythm instrument to back me up as I play the melodies. Once I get a chart working live - if I want better quality for a show etc. I’ll do a more pro track in my DAW with real instruments. But for many songs, doing simple gigs - iRealPro works fine. The endings are not great, and the bass lines get a bit boring - but overall it works ok. If you construct a good chart with proper repeats, and pick a good style for the song etc. - the tracks work really well. I like the Rhodes piano, vibes and bass along with the Jazz styles. Love being able to export .pdf to share charts with the band.

iRealPro has definitely helped me become a better jazz improviser. Most of the jazz songs are already available through iRealPro and inputting a song is incredibly easy. I have a backup band that can play a song in any key, in a variety of styles. And beginners can access chords to learn the songs. I recently had a question about iRealPro and I received a friendly answer within minutes through email support. I like not having to pay a monthly fee, but I have gladly paid for the extra styles just to support it. This is the one app I use daily. I highly recommend it.

I've been using iReal Pro since the beginning... and it keeps getting better and better! Besides being a great practice aid for my trumpet, it has helped me understand song form, and how to write it. Then it helped me learn the bass guitar, and now I'm able to teach basic guitar and piano to young students. In a pinch, it is a great backup band for live performance!

I recommend iRealPro, by name, to every musician I encounter, and am proud to give it the highest rating available! My only complaint is that I can't rate it higher, so that people can see what an exceptional app it is.

I’ve been using iReal Pro for a couple of years now on my solo piano jazz gigs. Solo gigging can be a bit boring and tedious at times, especially when the music your playing is requested to be purely background music at corporate/special events.
IReal Pro has given me a bit of spice to my music for the average listener, in addition to working with a metronome type tool, which is always good way to improve your time.
I love the ease of downloading tunes and / or creating new tune arrangements with iRealPro!
The ease of changing the key is convenient on the fly when needed.
Setting up play lists for special events is super handy in addition to having quick access to a singer’s song list that may have “out of the ordinary” keys.
There are many great reasons to use iReal Pro, but one great plus is the quick response to customer support (in real time) to questions one may have when using this great app.
Thank you, iReal Pro!

I love iRealPro and have been using it for years and it’s only gotten better and better. Best money I’ve ever spent. The only thing I have wanted for a long time but have yet to see is a loop feature. I’ve always wanted to loop certain sections of a tune to practice specific changes and I’ve had to go and record myself somewhere that I can loop it. It’s just a bit of a hassle and I’d love to be able to loop however many specific bars to practice hard spots with ease. Again, I love iRealPro and everything you all have done with it over the years so please continue doing what you’re doing and thank you so much!

I’m a jazz snob. iRealPro is perfect for me since I am learning jazz piano. It is also very good for composing and even recording a tune with other instruments, PROVIDED, one uses the midi out file transfer. The internal sounds are okay for learning but not good enough to record with. That’s okay because with a midi file player and multi layered sample based apps one can can obtain a very decent recording.

I encourage the developer to consider further enhancements such as more comping styles, chord inversions, additional drum fills and practice tunes " in the style of (artist)". BTW, I have all the Session Band Jazz apps and iRealPro has them beat. Great job!

This is, hands down, one of the best apps that I own. I have been playing guitar on and off for years, having much difficulty with swallowing. iRealPro is very easy to use and has a ton of bells and whistle‘s. You can easily create a song and then easily transpose it or change the tempo with a couple of simple tabs. It allows me to practice my guitar ring in multiple keys with ease. There are a ton of different styles as well as time signatures that really add to the functionality of iRealPro. Additionally, it seamlessly syncs with my iPhone and my iPad, so I can create a song on one device and it will easily just be there on my other device when I open it up. Fantastic job. Keep up the great work!

I have been using iRealPro for several years now. It’s useful for my drum practice, bass practice, vocal practice, songwriting. How one chooses to use this as a practice tool: the sky’s the limit! The online community is amazing. I can have friends come over and I mute their particular instrument along with mine.I am learning bass as my second instrument and this program is invaluable. I can slow down anything to a manageable Tempo so I can explore the chords deeper.

I can pick up even esoteric jazz and pop songs with the incredible online community. I do not need to be connected to the Internet to play downloadable songs with this software. I use it to also practice vocal exercises. It also exports charts to PDF which is fantastic if I want to play or share a chart with the actual song audio.

One of the best purchases I’ve ever made from my iPhone and iPad. They say Time magazine voted this One of the 50 best inventions of 2010. I say it’s still one of the 50 best inventions for musicians and it’s 2018. Thank you developers!

This tool is a great way to practice, and play the tune in any key. (As a keyboardist, I turn down the keyboard part and practce along from my fake book charts.) I don’t find the editing interface super intuitive, but there is online documentation and their support responds quickly to questions. The jazz list of tunes is pretty comprehensive. I wish there were more vetted rock tunes. (People post their own titles in the forums, but it is “caveat emptor”: some people who post don’t seem to know you can specify a minor key, or have screwy chords. Most recent versions let you preview before you download a song, but older version that runs on older iOS does not. (And that is the helpful tidbit I got from their support staff.) Overall, well worth the investment.

iRealPro is incredible. Not only am I able to find most songs from the real book and quickly dose load them, if the charts are wrong I can edit the chords or timing or repeats, key or tempo as needed. Not only that, when i couldn't find a song on the forums, I could create the chart as I needed it for any song. Only downfall is that I paid for iRealPro on my mac too, and I can't seem to login on the iphone to transfer my songs to my laptop. Incredible and needed for any jazz musician or genre beyond. In a band you can practice or share these charts so everyone knows how their solo will sound over the music. Great app. When I found I could create charts I was in disbelief. Comping style sounds great between bossa and up tempo or any other style

I’ve used iRealPro forever. Like most of my adult life, 10+years. I used to play upright bass professionally. iRealPro has got me through hundreds of pick up gigs- you know the type jazz musicians. All you hear is “Hey come play”, and when you show up to the gig they just start calling tunes from 100 years ago like you should have it in your blood. iRealPro let me keep up and sound great with that kind of gig. A quick download and you have changes to a ton of standards at your disposal. Only way this could be better is if it had the melody loaded in.

For practice it’s great. The rhythm section can be pretty stale but for working your way through changes at various speeds, 😘👌🏼(chefs kiss). You can alter changes easily. And mixing out instruments is cool, I can practice walking lines.

I use it even when writing songs. It’s pretty easy to make a lead sheet off these, including exporting to pdfs in case you need to pass to a friend. It’s great to have a band at your disposal to hear your parts too. There are some good grooves as well.

Honestly the best money I’ve spent on an app as a jazz musician, maybe on any music tech stuff. Thanks guys for all the help over the years!

Great automatic backing track software similar to Band In A Box without the three hundred dollar price tag. Great features allow control of most musical variables: key, tempo, and backup band instruments. Good sound for practicing along with, possibly good enough for demo’s or live karaoke performance. Wonderful software that has been around a decade or so, with plenty of time to work out any glitches a long time ago.
The program provides animated chord charts that follow the beat, but does not provide a melody line in musical notation. I have found sheet music elsewhere online, and the keys usually match the original keys in the written out songs. A perfect practice accompanist for solo instruments. The huge library of tunes online that anyone can download into the software is amazing. The most useful musical app of all time.

Man, I’ve never been particularly adept at the tech side of music although we all strive to improve. I admit it, as a composer/player I tend to be impatient! iRealPro serves the purpose of the composer SO WELL. Have a melody and chord changes in my head! Bap! I lay it down, play with grooves, tempos, new harms. and bring the composition to fruition in know time flat! As a pianist, I merely deck the onboard cat and have the most AMAZING tool to craft a composition! Also, by running it around through all keys, newer added ideas seam to materialize! And although I know my theory, writing a lead sheet would deflate my immediate artistic enthusiasm! Hats Off to this app! It’s a tool for the intermediate to the most advanced jazz musician. And what a practice aid! I insist any students I may take get it immediately!! It’s as valuable as the Real Book was in Boston almost 60 years ago, only 10 times more useful!!! Joe Delaney

I am a professional pianist and use to carry all my fake books to a gig. Now all I use is iRealPro. All I need to do is remember the melody. Most of the time I have singer so it’s not a problem. One time some people from Brazil came in. They requested songs I never heard of. I asked them, “if I play the chords, can you sing the melody?” They said yes, so I showed them the Brazilian songs that I had downloaded. They sang, loved it and gave me $100 tip. I have many similar stories. There are so many books that users have uploaded. Most of them are checked by the developer. They are very good at “talking with you and helping or suggesting tips. Every professional musician that I know has iRealPro. What’s even better is that I have separate Play Lists for each singer. Even if they all sing the same song, the play list has it in their key with their arrangement.

As a rhythm section player and music teacher, I can say without hesitation that iReal Pro has improved my playing and flexibility. The ability to have the changes to any tune, in any key, instantly, eliminated the need to carry around multiple real books to play casual gigs. The ability to have a play along track for any chart is a game changer in that it allows better practice and to allows one to fuse theory with improvisation. The search function allows access to most common tunes even brand new ones (not always totally correct, but almost always better than nothing). If all else fails, iReal allows us to easily and intuitively make our own charts and share any chart or playlist right there on the gig (as long as there a cell signal) or via email or text beforehand. All this for half the price of a single real book. Best music tool ever.

Please bring back the piano that you had before this update. The new “stereo piano” sounds distant and not as good. I will re-rate this if you can give us the option to use either piano at the least. I also note that some of the chords or inversions don’t sound quite right sometimes. Perhaps this can be looked into as well? Otherwise, I really enjoy the program.

Thank you for the response. Primarily, I’m not really happy with the “embellishment” feature. It seems to over embellish the jazz chords every single time the chord is played, if it was more randomized and had slightly better voice leading I think it would be a nice addition. Perhaps you could make it a sliding scale instead of “on” or “off”. Maybe it’s asking too much. The program is excellent regardless. I will re-rate to a 5 as I think it’s a valuable program for practicing songs. Thanks for listening.

iRealPro is incredible. I play Jazz so this is perfect for having chord charts, making practice exercises, and a whole lot more! I feel like the add on for pop and blues is pointless though, other then having a chord chart all the tunes need a melody to even sound close to the original music. I feel like working with an actual metronome would be more useful to a beginner player. An aspiring Jazz player NEEDS iRealPro but two chord chores and weekend players might want to look elsewhere on ultimate guitar tabs or something.